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Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability
events happening at Douglas

» Students will learn about renewable energy, bettering the environment

  

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor
Minews
@theotherpress.ca

n March 27 and 31,

Douglas College will be
hosting several events under
the title Sowing the Seeds of
Sustainability: Energy and
Agriculture. The events are
funded in part by FortisBC,
and will focus on how students
can contribute to a healthier
environment.

“The event is being
coordinated by community
connections, which is part
of the office of advancement
in external relations,” said
community connections
coordinator Jennifer Henderson.
“Sowing the Seeds includes
a student-led dialogue on
March 27, informative displays
in the concourse of the New

: Westminster campus on the

: afternoon of March 31, and a

: panel forum witha reception to
: follow.”

Speakers for the March 31

: panel include Scott Gramm,

: manager of renewable energy at
: FortisBC, Ethan Werner of CH

: Four Biogas, and Peter Schouten
: of Fraser Valley Biogas.

“These speakers will

: be talking about FortisBC’s

: renewable natural gas program
: and how they work together as
: business partners to support

: sustainable energy practices,”

: said Henderson.

“Rob McGregor, who is

: the executive director of the

: Douglas College Institute of

: Urban Ecology will join us

: to talk about using insects to
: control agricultural pests in

: an effort to reduce the use of
: pesticides.”

Henderson added that

: the displays at the New West

: campus will be supporting

: groups such as the New West
: Environmental Partners, the
: Coquitlam and Royal City

: Farmers Markets’ GreenTech
: Exchange, and the Douglas

: College UNIBUG pollinators
: program. “That’s a program

: encouraging the production
: of bees in local gardens to

: aide with pollination,” said

: Henderson. There will also

: bea great deal of student

: involvement at the events,

: including students from

: the sociology, earth and

: environmental sciences, and
: geography departments at

: Douglas, as well as student
clubs.

“Students will be hosting

the dialogue on March 27, and
; presenting highlights at the
; panel forum on March 31”

Members of the DSU

Light Art Club will also be
: taking care of photography

: for some of the renewable

: energy events. “We will be

: taking photos, showcasing

: the student-led dialogue, as

: well as documenting it on

: video and creating a short clip,
: featuring engagement in the

: topic,” said Celeste Medina of

: the Light Art Club. “What I

: would like for students to take
: away from our involvement

: isto see the outcome and

: satisfaction of being engaged in
: projects organized by a whole

? community with a common

: interest.”

: Students from the Douglas
: College Business Association

: have also taken a part in this

: year’s renewable energy events.
: Haidar Waled of the Douglas

: College Business Association

: explained the group’s role under
: the leadership of community

: connections. Members of the

: Business Association will be
organizing various parts of the

theotherpress.ca

: Sowing the Seeds event. “One
: student will be giving a brief
: welcome and a speech at the
: beginning of the event,” said
: Waled.

“Students get a

: chance to network with

: local entrepreneurs,

: New Westminster city

: representatives, FortisBC,

: and other companies. Some
: of the business students are
: prospective entrepreneurs,
: and the topic of renewable

: energy solutions matters.

: Climate change is an issue

: and businesses need to find
: renewable energy sources from
: fossil fuels.”

The March 27 student-led

: dialogue will take place from

: 1 to 3:30 p.m. in room 4650.

: The March 31 panel forum will

: be in room 2201 from 4:30 to 6

: p.m. with displays and booths
operating in the concourse from
: noon to 4:30 p.m.

 

Victims of Dalhousie dentistry scandal release statement

» Restorative justice process flawed, say victims

2 John Last

“media fire” by journalists
nd activists is forcing
the victims of the Dalhousie
Dentistry scandal into silence,
according to a new press release
from the women involved in
an ongoing and controversial
“restorative justice” process.
“Many people (some
with good intentions) have
spoken about us and in the
process often attempted to
speak for us in ways that we
have experienced as harmful,
silencing, and re-traumatizing,”
the women wrote in the

anonymous statement issued on :
: pursue a formal complaint under
: the Student Code of Conduct.

: Vice-provost Anne Forrestall :
: dismissed the complaint in

: January on technical grounds,

: saying it was already under

: investigation by the Faculty of

: Dentistry’s Academic Standards
: Class Committee (ASCC).

March 2.

The women’s statement
accompanied one from 12 of
their male classmates, still
unnamed, who return to
clinical duty this week despite
remaining under investigation
for violating professional
standards.

The men were members
of a misogynistic and sexually
graphic Facebook group which,
amongst other posts, made light
of using chloroform to sexually
assault patients.

Former member Ryan
Millet reported the group to the

: university on December 8, 2014,
: which was then exposed in the
: media a week later.

Since then, Dalhousie has

: been accused of coercing the

: women involved to opt fora

: “restorative justice” process over
: formal complaints that might

: end in expulsions.

“We made this choice

: informed of all of the options

: available to us and came to our
: decision independently and

: without coercion,’ the women
: wrote.

Four female faculty

members mentioned in the
: posts were not included in the
: statement, however they opted

out of restorative justice to

The ASCC investigation

can technically still end in

: expulsion, but the men’s return
: to clinic duties on March 7, a

: requirement for graduation, isa
: sign the ASCC is yielding to the
: restorative justice approach.

The decision came in

: the wake of a partial apology
: issued alongside the women’s
: statement.

“From the beginning of

: this process in December we

: felt incredibly remorseful and

: took ownership of what we did
: (individually and collectively).
: the men wrote in their

: statement.

“We know much more than

Some remain unconvinced

: by the sentiment. Jude Ashburn, :
: a coordinator at South House

: Sexual and Gender Resource

: Centre, said she believes the

: restorative justice process “has
: always been about restoring
Dalhousie’s reputation.”

“We stand by the women

: who wanted [restorative justice], :
: and we're glad that they’re

: getting what they wanted and

: feel vindicated,” she said. “[But
: we also] stand strongly behind

: the four people who publicly

: told us they did not choose that
process.”

Feature reports in the Dal

: Gazette, Halifax alt-weekly the

: Coast, and now the Globe and

: Mail have criticized Dalhousie’s
: response on similar grounds,
citing the university’s evasive

 

 

2

Pie 8 er

saying ‘sorry’ is required. We are | es
doing the hard work to figure
: out how to truly be sorry.”

: attitude to media and historical
: tendency to avoid formal

: charges in cases of sexual assault
: and harassment on campus.

: Claims of systemic

: misogyny in the Faculty of

: Dentistry have already spurred
: an external investigation, led

: by Constance Backhouse of the
: University of Ottawa.

: The administration also

: faces criticism on another front
: from Millet’s lawyers. Millet

: was the only of his classmates

: to refuse to take part in the

: restorative justice process, and
: a disciplinary committee ruled
: on March 7 that must agree to

: submit to a similar regime of

: counselling and re-education

: if he wants to return to clinical

Photo by Andrew Vaughan, The Canadian Press

IENTISTRY patHousie UNIVERSITY

 
   

: work with his classmates.

Millet, whose activity in the

: group was limited to “liking” one
: post and who believes himself

: innocent of any misconduct,

: views the ruling as punishment

: for the “reputational harm”

his exposure of the group

: caused to one of Dalhousie’s

: most cherished faculties. He is

: currently deciding whether to
challenge the ruling.

While the ASCC has no

deadline for its decision on the
: conduct of the “gentlemen,”

: Backhouse’s investigation is

: due to finish by the end of June,
: around the time, most likely,

: that the formerly suspended

: students will be finishing their
graduation requirements.